Thriller
by Brambleshadow of WindClan
Summary: [Halloween one-shot; songfic; AU; Part 2 of my Undercover Lupine 'verse]. "It's close to midnight, and something evil's lurking in the dark. Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart . . "


**Here's a little Halloween present for you. Sorry it's so late, but I only came up with this this week. Anyway, major tags to my story _The Nature of the Beast_, since I'm pretty sure this is a missing scene, but one that takes place two weeks after that fic ends. It's also a songfic, and is obviously using Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Please let me know what you think. I had a lot of fun writing this, and just can't help myself with the music video referenes. :D Oh, yeah, it's not necessary to read _The Nature of the Beast _first. This can be read as a stand-alone.**

* * *

_**Thriller**_

Tom Hanson, an undercover officer with the secret Jump Street program and newly-turned werewolf, glanced around at the sea of dancing kids dressed up in costume. It was finally Halloween, and since he'd been undercover at Central High School earlier in the month and therefore had known all about the dance, it seemed only natural that the Jump Street team crashed it.

It was easy to identify Judy Hoffs, dressed as she was in her red devil's outfit. Harry Ioki was a Japanese (really Vietnamese) Elvis Presley; Captain Richard Jenko was, well, Jenko (he didn't need to dress up); Doug Penhall was Count Chocula (they'd all thought he was Dracula at first). As for Hanson, what better choice than what he now was? All he had to do was call on certain aspects of his 'wolf form—lengthen fingernails into claws; turn canines into fangs; let his eyes shine gold, the mark of a lupine—and he was set. Right now, he was glad he'd told the others his secret: it spared him answering any awkward questions about his realistic costume. He'd also been able to slightly change the appearance of his ears, nose, and forehead, making them appear more wolfish. He could always have shifted into his 'wolf form, but that would have been like announcing to the whole school that he was lupine—werewolf. This way, everyone would think that it was just a costume.

The DJ was currently playing "The Monster Mash" and Tom somehow found himself dancing with Judy.

"So, is this better or worse than that prom we went to at Sacred Heart?" he asked her.

She smiled. "I wouldn't be saying anything just yet. The night's still young, Hanson."

"I suppose you're right." He found his eyes were traveling over her body, and their gold color darkened to amber. His 'wolf rose sharply, raking, clawing, wanting to claim her as its mate, and he fought against it. Now was not the time or place, and he didn't want Judy to become lupine. The team had only just accepted _his _dual nature; how would they deal with another werewolf, and a female one at that? They'd turn on him for sure, especially if it was Judy . . . and why was he thinking about this anyway?

"Tom, are you okay?" Judy asked. Her voice brought him back to the present. Shaking his head to clear it, he said, "Just thinking. Did you say something?"

"No, but you were so quiet that—"

She was cut off as his claws dug into the red fabric of her costume. "Do you hear that?"

Hoffs gave him a scathing look. "Hear what? I'm not a werewolf."

Tom bared fangs at her almost playfully. Then he was serious. "It was almost like—"

The whole gym plunged into total darkness before he could finish. Screams rang out, and Tom instantly clapped his hands over his sensitive ears. A pained whine spilled from his throat before he could stop himself. The noise . . . it was too much. He could feel his human self gaining dominance over the 'wolf features, and before long, signs of his condition were hidden.

"Hanson?" Judy's voice was close; from its tone, he knew she was fighting to stay calm.

"Relax," he soothed, his hands dropping from his ears to come around her back and draw her closer. "It's probably a power surge."

"Then why is it still dark?" Judy challenged.

It wasn't entirely dark for Tom: his eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, giving him the keen night vision of a wolf. Hanson swept his eyes around the gym, trying to locate Harry, Doug, and Jenko. Tracking them by scent wouldn't do any good: the smells were all jumbled. And he didn't have an answer for Judy.

Hoffs sensed the way Hanson had gone completely still, the way a predator does when tracking prey. Then she heard her captain's voice raised above the frightened clamor: "All right, everybody, calm down. Try and make your way to the exit. It's probably just a momentary blackout or power surge."

Both Hanson and Hoffs could feel bodies moving around them as the costumed teenagers made their way to the double doors that led out of the gym even as the two cops were trying to reach the rest of their team.

"What's going on here, Jenk?" Hanson asked his commanding officer once he and Judy were close enough.

"Don't know," the hang-on hippie replied. "My best guess is someone cut the power."

"Why?" Doug asked.

"To scare everyone off, maybe," Harry suggested. He shrugged and added, "Who knows?"

Judy shivered. "Who cares? Let's just leave. I'm starting to have a case of the creeps."

"Same goes," Hanson muttered.

Doug's teeth flashed white in the darkness. "This coming from a werewolf."

Yellow spun in Tom's dark brown eyes as he growled a warning.

"Okay, that's it," Penhall said. "I'm outta here." Hanson could see Doug's stocky, shadowy outline as he pushed past Harry and out the door into the chilly October night.

The others exchanged glances. Ioki asked, "Should we follow him?"

Jenko shrugged. "Might as well."

Hanson took the lead, since his night vision was far better than that of the humans'. Once they were outside, he turned to Judy. "Are you okay?" There was genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm fine." Hoffs broke free of his grip, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. A slow, mocking grin spread across Tom's face. "You're scared, aren't you?" he teased.

Dark-brown eyes glared back. "Of course not! Do you really think I'd let a blackout like _that _scare me?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Tom could see that the others were starting to slink away—to give them privacy, most likely. He quickly assured her, "No, I don't." The 'wolf paused before adding, "You want to go somewhere else?"

Judy smiled. "Sure. Just let me change out of this first."

Tom frowned. "Aren't your clothes at the Chapel?"

"No. They're in my car. Just wait five minutes. I'll be right back." Judy dashed off and was indeed back five minutes later wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and her hot pink leather jacket. She linked her arm through his and said, "Let's go."

As they walked along the street, Tom could have sworn he heard Michael Jackson's "Thriller" starting to be played. He asked casually, "Do you hear music?"

Hoffs listened, then shook her head and said, "No. Why?"

Okay, so maybe he was hearing it in his head, but that didn't mean he couldn't sing along. Flashing a playful smile at Judy, he began teasingly:

_"It's close to midnight, and something evil's lurking in the dark  
__Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart  
__You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it  
__You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes  
__You're paralyzed"_

This whole time, he was moving around her, walking stiff-legged like a zombie, even grabbing her shoulders at one point. Basically, Hanson was acting almost like Michael in the music video.

Tom smirked at her, allowing yellow to spin through his eyes as he continued:

_"'Cause this is thriller, thriller night  
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike  
__You know it's thriller, thriller night  
__You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight, yeah, ooh"_

Judy smiled and laughed softly, shaking her head. "Hanson, how many times have you seen the music video?"

The lupine looked at her sheepishly. "Twice. It scared me the first time I saw it. Not anymore, considering my new reality." Now that he was werewolf, nothing else really scared him. Horror movies were something of a joke, seeing as how inaccurate they were at depicting the lupine community.

There was a cemetery two or three blocks up from Central High School, and the two cops were coming closer with each step. It wasn't long until Hanson and Hoffs were walking by the graves.

A cold fog had suddenly swept in, obscuring their view of the graveyard. When it cleared, both werewolf and human were staring in horror at the corpses clawing their way out of the earth.

_"You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run  
__You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun  
__You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl  
__But all the while you hear a creature creepin' up behind  
__You're out of time"_

"Hanson," Hoffs hissed through gritted teeth, "you're not helping."

"Sorry. Now this song is stuck in my head." Tom eyed the zombies lurching toward them nervously, a growl rumbling in his chest. Yellow shone in his dark brown eyes and claws and fangs were making their appearance. "What do we do?"

"Run," Judy suggested.

"Sounds good," he agreed.

But neither of them moved. Horror had frozen their limbs, making it almost impossible to move. Tom wondered if he could break free of the strange hold by drawing on the strength and power of his 'wolf, but his mind was gone completely in out-of-control terror. Werewolves he could deal with, but zombies? Nuh-uh. No way. Totally something else altogether.

Said monsters were shuffling toward them in an odd sort of way, almost as if they were . . . Dare he say it out loud?

"Since when are we in a Michael Jackson music video?" Judy asked, taking the words right out of Tom's mouth.

"Who cares?" he said. "Move it!" Calling on his 'wolf, he snapped out of the paralysis and grabbed Judy's hand. Tom ran blindly, not caring where he was going—but there was nowhere _to _run. It seemed that wherever they went, zombies appeared to block their path.

Judy slammed her eyes shut, hoping and praying that this was just a figment of her imagination, that she would soon wake up warm and safe in her apartment. But the cool night air, Tom's claws digging into her skin, and the gruesome moans were convincing her that this was very real.

"Why us?" she panted.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Well—"

_"'Cause this is thriller, thriller night  
__There ain't no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl  
__Thriller, thriller night  
__You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight"_

"You're right. I didn't want you to answer that."

Tom and Judy were now standing back-to-back, eyeing the living dead as the moaning, shuffling horde formed a loose circle around them, pushing them back. Judy hit the brick wall of a monastery and froze. All she could do was watch in horror.

_Please don't let them have an appetite for brains. Please don't let them have an appetite for brains, _she chanted silently.

Tom's low growl cut through her thoughts and she sensed him go completely still. Judy hissed, "Don't you dare go 'wolf on me, Hanson."

His growling stopped abruptly. "Sorry, Jude, but, well . . .

_Night creatures call  
__And the dead start to walk in their masquerade  
__There's no escapin' the jaws of the alien this time  
__(They're open wide)  
__This is the end of your life_

_They're out to get you, there's demons close to the inn on every side  
__They will possess you unless you change that number on your dial  
__Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah  
__All through the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen_

_I'll make you see that this is thriller, thriller night  
__Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try  
__Thriller, thriller night  
__So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, chiller  
__Thriller here tonight_

_'Cause this is thriller, thriller night  
Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghoul could ever dare try  
Thriller, thriller night  
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller_

_I'm gonna be here tonight"_

Despite their current situation, Hoffs threw Hanson a dirty look. "Seriously? I can take care of myself."

Tom smirked. "Not from where I'm standing." Gold flared in his dark brown eyes. "Do you want to get out of here or not?"

"What do you think?" Judy said acidly.

"Okay. Here's the plan: I'm going to shift and try to distract them. You make a run for it and try to make it back to Central. I'll catch up."

"Let's do it," Hoffs said. Her fingers, which had been laced with Tom's, were suddenly brushing against fur. A quick glance down showed that Tom was fully in 'wolf form. The large, dark-brown werewolf threw back his head and howled defiantly before bunching up his muscles and launching himself in the zombies' midst. Jaws snapped, and threatening growls mixed with dreadful moans. Judy took that as her cue and bolted, ducking and weaving around zombies and headstones as she raced for the exit. She made it out and turned back, hoping to see Tom. Fighting back panic when she didn't, Judy called out, "Hanson, I made it to the exit! Let's go!"

After a few seconds, she heard one last howl. Then her terrified eyes made out the dark nightmarish shape of the 'wolf galloping towards her, paws thundering on the ground. Once Tom was beside her, Judy took off again. She didn't dare look back in case the living dead were following. Nor did she dare slow down until they were back at Central.

Panting, exhausted, and functioning solely on adrenaline, Judy collapsed against the hood of her car.

"Are you okay, Judy?"

Tom's voice made her jump before she realized he'd shifted back to human form. She managed, "I think so. Can you just take me home?"

He nodded, a smile twitching at his lips. "You were right earlier."

She blinked, stupefied for a moment. "What?"

"In the gym, when you told me not to say anything just yet on how this night was going. Honestly, I think it's worse than that prom at Sacred Heart."

"Yeah, no kidding." Judy tried for a laugh, but it died on her lips when she noticed a dark figure lurking in the shadows behind Tom. "Uh, Hanson . . ."

"What?"

"Behind you."

The werewolf whirled around, fangs bared, a snarl on his lips. Then Doug stepped out of the shadows, throwing back the hood of his cloak. Penhall said, "Hey, guys. How'd the talk go?"

"Well, we ran into a bunch of zombies in a graveyard," Hanson said, relaxing his fighting stance.

"_Really_?"

"Really. And we, Judy and I, are leaving. You can come with, unless you want to stay and see for yourself and maybe end up being zombie chow."

Doug suddenly didn't look so eager. "Wow, nice Halloween, huh? Well, see you later." He waved jauntily and headed over to his motorcycle. Before long, Count Chocula had disappeared into thin air.

Judy had relaxed as well—until she heard the moans of dozens of zombies, that is. She clutched at Hanson's arm. "Let's just go home already. Can you take me?"

"Sure. You want to take your car or . . . Oh, yeah, my Mustang's back at the Chapel. Your car it is then." Once they'd settled in, he asked, "Your place or mine?"

"Yours, I guess," Judy said as she cinched in the seat belt and placed her hands on the wheel. She was so focused on her car that she missed the triumphant yellow gleam in Hanson's eyes, not to mention the slightly-evil grin.

_**Darkness falls across the land  
**__**The midnight hour is close at hand  
**__**Creatures crawl in search of blood  
**__**To terrorize y'alls neighborhood**_

_**And whososever shall be found  
**__**Without the soul for getting down  
**__**Must stand and face the hounds of hell  
**__**And rot inside a corpse's shell**_

_I'm gonna be here tonight  
__I'm gonna be here tonight  
__I'm gonna be here tonight  
__I'm gonna be here tonight  
__Oh, darlin', thriller night_

_**The foulest stenches in the air  
**__**The funk of forty thousand years  
**__**And grizzly ghouls from every tomb  
**__**Are closing in to seal your doom**_

_**And though you fight to stay alive  
**__**Your body starts to shiver  
**__**For no mere mortal can resist  
**__**The evil of the thriller**_

_**[evil laugh]**_


End file.
